Eagles Hoping To Read Giants Right This Time Pro Football

December 06, 1987|by COULT AUBREY, The Morning Call

There was a time not too long ago when the New York Giants didn't stand a chance against the Philadelphia Eagles. They lost 12 games in a row between late 1975 and late 1981, including the infamous "Miracle of the Meadowlands" in 1978.

On that November Sunday quarterback Joe Pisarcik had only to kneel down and let the clock run out to end a 17-16 Giants victory, but he was ordered to hand the ball off to fullback Larry Csonka. The ball went off Csonka's hip and Eagle cornerback Herman Edwards scooped it up and ran 26 yards for the winning touchdown with 20 seconds to play.

Oh, how times have changed! The way things have gone for the Eagles recently they may need another "miracle" to beat the Giants. The tally currently stands at five consecutive losses and 11 defeats in thelast 13 games, leaving fans to wonder whether the decline will ever end.

When desperation takes control you reach for straws, so maybe it will end today. But it has nothing to do with Phil Simms being at quarterback or Lawrence Taylor probably not being at linebacker for New York.

The game will be played at 1 p.m. in Giants Stadium, and nobody knows whether the Giants can play an entire game in daylight. Since winning the Super Bowl last January, they haven't had a chance.

Although this is Week 13 of the 68th National Football League season, New York will be playing its first afternoon game. It had one scheduled in Miami on Sept. 27, but that was the one weekend there were no games because of the strike.

The Giants therefore have played seven times at 4 o'clock, once at 8 and three times at 9.

Of course, these are tidbits of some interest but absolutely no importance. Starting time should have little bearing on outcome.

Take the Eagles. In contrast to New York, they played eight consecutive 1 o'clock games before facing the Giants in a 4 p.m. game in Veterans Stadium three weeks ago, and for more than three quarters they easily were the better team.

They ran around and through the proud New York defense for 124 yards in the first half and 157 through the middle of the third quarter. Then, just as they did last week in the fourth quarter against New England, they died.

They blew a 31-10 lead against the Patriots and had to go into overtime to win 34-31 on Paul McFadden's 38-yard field goal. Against the Giants they took a 17-10 lead 7 minutes and 2 seconds into the third period on Randall Cunningham's eight-yard touchdown pass to Keith Byars, then gained a mere 49 yards and four first downs (one by penalty) on their last 24 plays. New York won 20-17.

Anthony Toney, who played fullback in the earlier game against the Giants but ran for 123 yards as a tailback against the Patriots, blamed the Eagles' running decline on halftime adjustments by New York.

"We did some pretty good running, came out and had some good runs in the first half," he said, "but they were slanting, running different defenses and shut us down in the second half.

"That made changes in the blocking schemes for the offense, and we didn't adjust well. If we run a play where I'm supposed to cut a man over guard and there's no defensive lineman over guard, I have to cut the linebacker. So I have to pick that up and the line has to pick up who they're going after.

"We know this time that we must make the right read and make adjustments to their adjustments."

Toney will again be at tailback today, with Michael Haddix at fullback. "Well have certain plays where I'll be lead blocking for Michael and he'll be blocking for me," Toney said. "The Giants are known for having Taylor slashing down from the back side, so we'll have to watch for that and pick it up.

"We're looking for Lawrence to start, but if he doesn't, (Andy) Headen is behind him and he's a good linebacker. They're all good linebackers."

Cunningham is having an excellent season in his first full year at quarterback for the Eagles, completing 53.5 percent of his passes for 16 touchdowns and running for another 355 yards and three touchdowns. He ran for one TD and passed for another in the first game with the Giants.

Mike Quick, too, is having a super season although he's far down the list in receptions with only 33. He's making them count, though, averaging almost a touchdown for ever four catches, including two TDs in each of the last two games, and is second to San Francisco's JerryRice in scoring catches with eight. Rice has 14.

But it is on defense against the pass that the Eagles have failed badly in recent games. They allowed Tom Ramsey, New England's No. 3 quarterback, to pass for 402 yards and three touchdowns last week, 222 yards and two touchdowns coming in the second half. He also ran for the tying touchdown.

"On defense we lost our poise," Ryan said. "It's amazing that we go out in practice and knock the hell out of people, and in a game we're playing off them 50 yards."

A week earlier the defense allowed St. Louis's Neil Lomax to complete 14 of 20 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of a 31-19 loss to the Cardinals. Even Jeff Rutledge, who filled in for Simms in last month's game against the Giants, hit on 16 of 30 for 298 yards and a touchdown.

"We're not that far from being a good defense," insists middle linebacker Mike Reichenbach. "When we fail on a play, we do it as a unit. We didn't get a good pass rush, a linebacker missed his assignment, somebody in the secondary didn't help out on coverage.

"This is a team defense that takes a lot of study. It's the little things like taking film home, looking for tendencies, knowing your assignments. I don't think we're as far away as we look."